More Than Just Friends

More Than Just Friends

*

The Final Revelation

*

It was really hard. I pushed with all my might, but I just couldn't get through...

"Hurry up, Siri," sighed Remus annoyedly. "I don't have all the day to waste just for pleasing you."

I shot a brief glare in the direction of my lover. "This would be a bit easier if you were more willing to cooperate," I said, trying hard not to sound angry. I would not get mad at Remus -- not in a situation like this.

"Fine," Remus said, rolling his eyes, and walked to my side. With one, mighty push, he pushed the stuck door open, revealing the room behind it. "I still don't understand why -- oh, god." And then, he was just left staring into the room.

I couldn't help the wide grin that spread itself on my face. "Well? Did you think I wouldn't remember?" Of course he did -- like I ever remembered anything I should. Well, this time, I did.

"It's -- it's that room," was all he said as he took a couple of tentative steps into the room. "The one where James walked in on us -- and the one where Lily did the same." Turning back towards me, he continued, his eyes glowing with delight, "I really wouldn't have thought you'd remember... I think I'd forgotten it even myself."

Shrugging, I replied, "I hadn't forgotten. Instead, I remembered -- and wanted to make you remember, too." Knowing that there was no way to wipe the longing expression from my face, I only continued quietly, "I don't really have much to give you in the present time... I'd at least want to remind you about the happier times."

He adopted that half concerned, half scowling expression he always had when I talked about my... losses. "Sirius, you are all I have ever wanted," he said, "and all I need to be happy. It doesn't matter to me what the Veil robbed from you -- it really doesn't matter. Besides, most of it can be fixed, right?"

And true, he was right. In a way, at least. Most of my appearance has been, and still is being, fixed. But at the time, my face -- as well as the rest of my body -- was really just a map of scars, big and small. My strength was mostly gone -- a good reason why I couldn't open the door and Remus could, even though he had, as a werewolf, always been stronger than any of us. And even though those flaws could be cleared, other... damages... were more permanent. Irreversible.

Like my loss of magic.

I'd lost my magic, as a payment for returning to the world of living, for returning to Remus. I'd paid that price gladly, I'd given my soul if it had granted me a second of time alive with my beloved. But even though I had to pay that price, and paid it willingly, it still hurt. And still hurts.

Anyway, I just sighed. "That's what everyone keeps saying," I said, "that it doesn't really matter. But what would you know? What can you know about not having anything you're used to have?"

"We don't know," whispered Remus quietly, "or at least I don't, and I don't think anybody else knows -- maybe except for Arabella, and even she hasn't really lost it, as she'd never even had magic. But no matter how hard it is to you, to us, you're just as dear and well-loved -- with or without magic."

"Yeah..." But despite my seeming agreement, I just couldn't find it in myself to wholly believe him. Why'd he love me when I was as strong as a deathly sick kitten, as handsome as a dog's yesterday's meal, and as magically powerful as, well, as a Muggle?

Like he'd sensed my thoughts, Remus walked to me and immediately hugged me. "Stop that," he commanded strictly, yet gently. "I've never loved you for your face, or strength, or powers. Sure, I loved all those -- but I loved them because of you, not you because of them." Then, with a mischievous smile that was obviously an attempt to cheer me up, he added, "Besides, I've always appreciated your body more when it's dark."

"You're almost as bad as I am," I laughed, some of my usual cheeriness returning. "Maybe I have corrupted you?" However, I was far from happy when we then made our way deeper to the tiny library, hand in hand.

Then, however, it was the time to show Remus what else I had to show him but this library, which held so many memories. Of course, even those memories were much. I confessed my love to him there, young and overdaring I was, we kissed for the first time there -- hell, even the first time we made love was in that library. Most teenagers got rid of their virginity in some dark broom closet, but we did it in the middle of bookshelves, lying on the desk Remus usually used for studying, all the time fearing that somebody would break the locking charms we'd placed on the door. Thankfully, no one did.

Anyway, I gently turned Remus around and led him further until he stood his back to that particular desk. There was no way I could have picked him up from the ground and lifted him to that desk, like I'd used to when we were young, but he got my drift and lifted himself there. Then, when I had him sitting in front of me, I fished a tiny, stamp-sized book from my pocket.

"Nymphadora shrank it for me," I told him with a charming smile as he raised a questioning eyebrow. "You have to stretch it back to its original size by yourself."

With a mere tap of his wand -- oh, how I envied him for that little tap of a wooden stick! -- he did so, getting more curious at every passing moment, at least regarding to his expression. Then he opened the book -- or, in fact, the photo album -- and again gasped in surprise.

"Pictures of our years together here," he said in amazement. "This is amazing! Where did you get them all?"

"Well, at first I looked through all my old hiding place in the Hellhole," I replied with a slight smile, using the name I'd given to my childhood home. "Then I asked everyone who was at school at the same time as we. Could you imagine that even Snape had pictures of us?"

"Severus?" he laughed. "You must be kidding."

"But I'm not," I argued. Snatching the album from him, I flipped through the pages until I found the one I was looking for. "This picture, for example, is from Snape."

Remus took one look at it, and laughed. "Oh, how cute we were," he giggled. "How old are we in this? Eleven, or twelve?"

"Fifteen, at least according to Snape," I said with a smirk. "He said he'd kept is as an excellent example of how childish Gryffindor can be."

Well, the picture was cute, anyway. It was taken on the Hogwarts grounds in the wintertime; the teachers had created us a lot of snow to play with. There were only I and Remus in the picture -- James and Peter could only be seen as tiny heads in the snow fortress in the background. I was building a very "traditional" snowman -- three large snowballs on top of each other, a carrot as a nose, and pieces of charcoal for eyes, mouth, and buttons down its "chest". Remus's snowman, however, was rather a snowwoman -- a finely formed, pretty recognizably female statue with a complete dress, hair, and face.

"You were such an artist back then," I commented, smiling at both him and the picture.

"And you were such a jealous brat back then," he shot back with a smirk. "You asked whether I was in love with my snowwoman -- and you were insulted when I said that I was!"

"Hey, you had me, the most gorgeous, clever, and witty boy this world has ever seen -- and you said you preferred a cold, unalive woman? Of course I was insulted!"

"Awww, shut up," said Remus, slipping the album to the table next to himself. Then he drew me into a warm embrace, and kissed me.

As he at last released me, we both smiled at each other. Then, I spoke. "I want to tell Harry about us," I said -- a bit uncertainly, yes, but meaning every word.

"Do that," said Remus, still smiling. "In my opinion, you should have done that a long time before."

"And I want to tell everyone about us," I continued, collecting all my courage for what I'd planned to do next. "I love you, Remus, I love you more than anything in the whole wide world. And I want to always be with you."

"Is that a proposal?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Even though gay marriages had been strictly forbidden when Fudge, the prejudiced bastard, had been in charge, a change had been brought to that. Arthur Weasley, the new Minister of Magic, had allowed gay marriages at the same time as he cancelled all prejudiced restrictions and regulations against werewolves, vampires, and such creatures. I don't think anyone was surprised when Snape revealed that he was in fact a vampire and had kept his race hidden because of the laws against all Dark creatures. It did surprise many, though, that he had a servant to provide him with blood, and that his servant and -- I shuddered at the thought -- lover was none other but our dear Nymphadora Tonks.

"No," I answered Remus's question. Then, putting my hand to my pocket again, I said, "However, this is." Slipping down to one knee, I held his hand in one of my hands, and a sparkling ring in the other. "Remus John Lupin, will you make me the happiest man on the Earth and marry me?" I asked, nervous, but more sure than I'd ever been in my life. This was what I wanted. This was all that I ever needed -- Remus, my Remus, mine forever and ever.

...If he only would answer...

After an agonizing moment that felt like forever but was probably no more than a minute or two, Remus finally said, his voice hardly more than a whisper, "Yes, Sirius, I will marry you. I'd do nothing rather." And at those words, my heart was filled with joy.

It was unbelievable. Unbelievable that I, with my scar-covered body and lost magic, could get Remus, my Remus -- the most gorgeous creature ever walked on Earth, one of the most powerful wizards alive, and the man who held my very heart in his pale hands. It felt almost too good to be true.

I slipped the ring into his finger. He grasped my hand, pulling me up for another kiss. My arms wrapped themselves around him, my hands wandered over his back on their own accord, and I, well, I just decided to give in.

I didn't know how much time passed -- we were both too deeply concentrated on just each other to keep track of time, or even care about it -- but suddenly, we heard a surprised gasp behind us. A very familiar-sounding gasp, it was.

With a startle I noticed just how suspicious our positions were. Remus lay on the desk, his knees on the edge of the table, and he had his shirt open thanks to my wandering hands. His hands were wrapped around my neck, slightly caressing the scarred skin there. I was leaning over him, one of my hands caressing his face, the other both wandering along Remus's side and steadying my body so I didn't fall on top of him. We'd just been involved in a very deep kiss when this somebody had come in, but now I'd jerked back to look at the incomer.

And it was Harry. For all that is magical, the person who came in just had to be the last one I'd wanted him to be! Sure, I had planned telling Harry, but, well... Walking in on your parental figures having "fun" rarely is very fun to you.

"Erm... Harry?" I finally managed to say. Not very intelligent, mind you, but much more than I would have expected myself to be able to say in that situation.

"S-Sirius?" my godson stammered, being seemingly just as shocked as I was. "Remus? I -- I -- the paintings said you were here, and I --" Turning just as scarlet as I felt at the moment, he then said in a rush, "I'lljustgoandseeyoulater,Idid'ntseeanythingIreallydidn't,bye-bye," and before I could force another word from my mouth, he was away already.

Sighing a bit, I turned back towards Remus. "I don't know about you, but I lost my mood," I said.

"Same here," replied Remus. "Do you think we should go to talk with him?"

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," I admitted. Then I clumsily helped him to button up his shirt. With one last look at each other and ourselves to make sure we were decent enough to go to Harry and not scar him even more, we left the little library that was so full of memories.

We found him in a nearby abandoned classroom. He was seventeen already, yes, but he looked really tiny huddled in the corner, quietly chanting to himself, "I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything..." Well, he was tiny, like he'd always been -- I bet it was the Dursleys, not feeding him properly -- but he looked even tinier there.

"Harry?" asked Remus hesitatingly. "Could we maybe talk with you for a bit?"

"What?" He raised his eyes to us, startled. Then, he blushed even deeper than before. "I -- um -- well --"

"Take it easy," said Remus with the same patience and calmness I'd always both wondered and adored. Even if the whole Hogwarts collapsed around us, Remus would just say, "Well, it was old anyway, that was just to be expected," and go on like nothing had happened at all.

"Take it easy?" spat Harry in disbelief. "Do you really think I can just 'take it easy' after seeing you two -- well -- going at it?"

Suddenly, a horrible thought hit my mind. I knew he hadn't anything against gays -- it's surprising what kind of things you find out in godfather-godson conversations -- but what if it was something else? Before I could help myself, I'd already blurted out, "Harry? Does the thought of I and Remus being together disgust you because of -- how I am?"

"What?" Now he sounded even more disbelieving. "Are you crazy, Sirius? You could look like a rotten rat and be born Muggle, and that wouldn't disturb me one bit. It's just -- well, it's just that I was shocked. Really shocked." Then, with an annoyed glare at my direction, he added, "You could have told me before, you know."

"Don't be such a drama queen," huffed Remus. "Sirius meant to tell you, he just never got to it. Besides, it's not like you're the first one that has happened to."

"What do you mean?" In an instant, Harry looked more curious than ever. He still looked a bit queasy, though. Well, I couldn't really blame him, now could I?

"I'm just meaning that both James and Lily found out the same way as you," said Remus with the same mischievous grin I remembered from our younghood and had missed greatly. It was his Marauder grin. "In that very same library, even. You see, one day, after his Quidditch practices, James..."

And Remus told, and I and Harry listened. I saw Harry slowly relax, and at the point where Remus finished the story about Lily's walking-in, he had in fact a huge grin plastered on his face.

"So, it looks like I was only continuing a family tradition," he said, still grinning. Then he, however, shot us both a sharp look. "You two better make sure that I won't have to see you snogging anymore," he then grumbled.

"Spoilsport," I said, then made a mock-sigh. "And here I was thinking that you might accept to be my best man."

Harry's eyes widened. "You -- you are -- getting married?" he managed to stammer after some moments of just gaping at us.

"Well, at least Sirius proposed," Remus said with a slight smile, raising his hand to show him the ring. "And I accepted. So, yes, I do think we are getting married."

If Harry had before grinned broadly, his face was now practically split in two. "Congratulations!" he squealed, then jumped to his feet. "I'm going to tell the others!" he yelled over his shoulder before rushing out of the room.

We exchanged amused glances, Remus and I. Then, a scarred hand in a ringer hand, we made our way back to the little library.